Politicians on Campus

Politics Editor Jackson Wood hit up the politicians who came up to uni for Clubs Day.

1) In your opinion, what is the most important issue facing students at the moment?
2) Your personal and political goals for this year and after the election?
3) Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton?
4) Student accommodation in Wellington: Rents are high. How do you/your party plan to help students?
5) Student living costs have not moved up in about 10 years. Most students have less than $10 to spend after they have paid rent. What do you suggest they do with that money?

Mark Blumsky (National, List) 1) Student loans.
2) I’m leaving Parliament this year so I am focused on leaving on a high note. I am also helping Tulsi go national. They have amazing butter chicken. I will probably also get involved with local body politics again.
3) Obama.
4) Move the markets away from providing bed sits and accommodation for older tenants.
5) Buy a lotto ticket. National will be releasing our policy for students in the next couple of weeks and they would shoot me if I said anything. Keep your eyes peeled.

Heather Roy (ACT, List)
1) Student loans. ACT intends to promote ways to make living for students more affordable including a loyalty scheme for people who stay in New Zealand and work for important public sector industries.
2) Campaigning hard to get ACT re-elected. Getting NZ to think about the issues and debating them. Especially about the downturn in the economy.
3) Obama. He seems genuine, impressive and pragmatic.
4) Providing market incentives for private companies to invest.
5) [I forgot to ask]

Sue Kedgley (Greens, List)
1) How to pay for the crippling debt.
2) Campaigning hard for the Wellington Central electorate, and help the Greens achieve 10% of the party vote.
3) Obama.
4) The Greens student policy is about making education affordable, and eradicating student debt. This would help ease the burden on students for rent.
5) On a placard, so that you can protest outside parliament for a better deal.

Grant Robertson (Labour, 2008 Wellington Central candidate)
1) Keeping Labour in Government. We have a track record of supporting students, with interest free student loans and fee maxima.
2) Getting out in to the electorate hearing the concerns of the people, students and anyone willing to talk.
3) Either. A Democrat in the White House is a good thing.
4) Building a capital fund so that tertiary institutions can use the money to build accommodation.
5) That shouldn’t be a situation that students are in.

Phil Howison (Libertarianz, not in parliament)
1) Getting government out of students lives, because it restricts freedom.
2) Getting more members in the run up to the election and putting the best campaign together.
3) Abstain, as it is a legitimate political statement.
4) Remove restrictions on the development of accommodation in Wellington, eg RMA, and council building restrictions.
5) Invest it.

Week on the Blogs

Jackson continued his power trip of slightly dyslexic blog lefty ranting. He talked about the trade deal with China, and how it is pooze as well as the state of world communism.

Conrad got deep, blogging about his inner woman. Letting forth his inner emotions he waxed feminine about Helen Clark, (or was it Margaret), and David Cunliffe’s dealings with STD’s whoops… I mean DHB’s.

Emma posted her unedited version of her Nandor Tanzcos interview and once again Hugh did jack shit.

Comment of the Week

Terryeo, on Revenge Of The Nerds Project Chanology is actually just a massive bigoted campaign run by a loosely connected alliance of the German Secret Service, the FBI, Communists, Zionists, Psychiatrists, neo-Nazis, and the Russian Mafia. Please DO NOT look up Scientology on the internet. The internet is full of lies.

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